


Of Kids and Kidnappings

by SmileyTrashBag1



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adoption, Kidnapping, M/M, idk what else to put here?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 14:43:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12061110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmileyTrashBag1/pseuds/SmileyTrashBag1
Summary: Harry and Tom get married, after Harry helps Tom win the war. Now that Tom is minister new reforms have been put in place including the construction of magical orphanages. Four years after the takeover at the ministry and Harry and Tom are interested in adopting.





	1. Chapter 1 They told him to Go big or Go home.  An orphans only got one option.

_How they met:_

  Voldemort stared at the Potter cottage.  He approached the gate and entered.  James attacked him, and was killed.  Lily attempted to protect Harry, and also lost her life.  Then little Harry, although having the killing curse aimed at him, didn’t die.  Voldemort was torn apart that night, and the wizarding world rejoiced.

 

  Harry was shocked to see it was Quirrell who was attempting to steal the stone instead of Snape, like he and his friends had thought.  Quirrell stood before the Mirror of Erised, musing to himself about the stone.  He made Harry look into the mirror, and Harry watched as his reflection put the stone in his pocket.  He lied, hoping that Quirrell wouldn’t notice that he had the stone, but the same voice that told Quirrell to use Harry told him to remove the turban.  As the turban fell away, Quirrell turned revealing a chalk white face.  Harry was paralyzed as his emerald green eyes met crimson.  Voldemort asked Harry to join him, but he refused.  Quirrell attempted to kill him, and found he couldn’t touch Harry.  He shriveled into dust.

 

  Harry walked into the Chamber a slight tremble to him movements.  He kept walking until a towering statue came into view, a figure with red hair resting at its feet.  Harry ran to Ginny, who laid unconscious on the floor.  Next to her was a diary.  Tom Riddle’s diary.  Harry attempted to wake Ginny when he heard a chuckle behind him.  Tom himself was there\\.  He revealed himself to be a younger Voldemort.  Tom then called upon the basilisk and laughed at Harry’s futility.  Fawkes came bringing the sorting hat with him.  Harry faced off with the basilisk, and destroyed the diary.  He and Ron brought Ginny and Lockhart to the teachers.

 

  While Harry had avoided an encounter with Voldemort, his year had been anything but uneventful.  Chased by a serial killer, who turned out to not only be innocent of the accused crimes, but also Harry’s godfather.  Attacked by dementors for reasons he still didn’t understand.  Taught by a friend of his parents who turned out to be a werewolf.  An attack from Voldemort would be just another layer to an already complicated year.  The only thing he wished had happened differently was his godfather’s escape.  He wished Sirius had been cleared of his crimes, but he had forced to go on the run instead.  He didn’t want to go back to the Dursley's.

 

_ How they formed an alliance: _

  Harry struggled against the headstone, trying desperately to get away.  His scar was burning, setting him on edge.  Wormtail continued with his madness not far away attempting to resurrect his master.  He moved over to a small bundle that sat near the gravestone not far away. He picked it up and dropped what appeared to be a shriveled up baby into the cauldron.  He then pointed his wand at the ground beneath Harry. “Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son.” A bone rose from the grave and was thrown into the cauldron bubbling in front of them.  “Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master.”  Wormtail took a knife and reluctantly sliced off his hand, dropping it into the potion.  “Blood of the martyr, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your hope.”  Wormtail then turned to Harry the knife still in hand.  He made a shallow cut, enough to take Harry’s blood and added that to the cauldron.    There was a bright flash, and Harry froze at the sight that greeted him.  He watched as a man of reptilian features rose from the cauldron.  Wormtail was whimpering in pain off to the side, holding his stump of an arm.  Voldemort retrieved the robes that lay on the ground next to the pot.  He donned them and turned to face his “sworn enemy.”  He stalked toward Harry, and Harry began to struggle anew.

  “This,” Voldemort’s voice held a soft hissing sound that was very much like a snakes, “is the Wizarding World’s saviour.  A child that could be apprehended by one of my most pathetic followers.”  At that moment Wormtail whined again, causing Voldemort to turn towards him.  Wormtail held out his stump of an arm, tears gliding down his face.  Voldemort waved his wand and a silver hand materialized.  Voldemort then turned back to Harry.  “Tell me Potter, why you fight; why you fight for those who repeatedly throw you to the dirt, only to pick you up when they need you?  Why fight for someone who hunts the only father figures you've had in your life?  What motivates you?  Is it foolish hope that your godfather would be cleared of his crimes, or that the werewolf you love so dearly will be able to live among us wizards?  People rarely change Potter, Dumbledore especially.  Why do you follow that old goat?”

     “Because, we fight for the greater good,” Harry spat at him, glaring harshly.

     “Oh yes, the ‘greater good’ which sends young children back to abusive homes without so much as a thought towards their safety.”  Harry flinched and Voldemort gave a grim smile, “ surprised I know your secret Potter.  Anyone with eyes would be able to tell you are abused.  Your friends are aware, I assure you, yet instead of doing anything they stood to the side and let it happen.  You have told them of your displeasure of returning ‘home,’ but they continue to send you there for three years now.  They watch you suffer which is the same, if not worse, than committing the act itself.”

  Harry deflated, all the fight robbed from him by words he knew to be true.  His friends were aware of the abuse, they’d seen the bruises and scars that marred his skin.  They’d noticed how thin he was, and how little he ate; how he flinched when anyone moved towards him, or acted too suddenly.  The boys he roomed with had heard the night terrors.  Despite all that they continued to send him back.  They didn’t protest Dumbledore’s decision, nor did they even seem sorry.  Harry felt tears carving a river down his cheeks, “If not for the greater good, then what do I fight for?”

  “Yourself,” Voldemort said simply, “forget those who broke you, and fight your own battles.  Don’t let the Old Goat lead you like a sheep to slaughter.  Fight back, retaliate, don’t listen to those who only see your title, and instead ally yourself with those you who support you.  You’re more slytherin than you know, Potter.”

  “I won’t become one of your Death Munchers,” Harry said, some of the old fire alighting in his eyes.

  “Then don’t, become neutral, gather up a group of people you trust and I will vow not to harm those that align themselves with you.  But know that if I make that vow, you must vow to stay neutral and not attack me or my Death Eaters.”

  “You promise to leave me and mine alone,” Harry said, still skeptical.

  “Only if you vow the same.”

  “Deal.”

  “Deal.”

_ When Harry fought back: _

  Harry quickly checked Sirius's pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief to find his godfather alive.  Spells were flying everywhere, greens and reds coming from both sides, that it made it almost impossible to determine who had fired the curse that downed him.  Him and Remus had almost been too late to stop him from falling into the Veil.  In that moment however Harry felt a deep burning hatred for the light side, for it hadn’t been one of the Death Eaters to hit Sirius, they were under a vow not to, but one of the flaming chickens.  Harry wasn’t sure who it was, but when he found out, they were in for a world of trouble.  No one messed with Harry’s family and got away with it.  It was in that moment that Harry snapped.  He was through with being neutral, and he wished for nothing more than to make those who abandoned him suffer.

  Harry looked up and locked eyes with Neville and Luna, who were keeping up the farce of fighting the Death Eaters, and gave a quick nod.  Both smiled as they turned to face the true enemy.  Harry and his group of friends had been considering joining the war as their own faction, and now the time had come.  Once Luna and Neville had engaged the Order of the Phoenix members Harry turned to Remus and smiled.  “Ready to join the war father.”

  “I do believe I am son.  For Padfoot?”

  “For Padfoot.”  At that both Harry and Remus jumped up and started attacking the light side while also defending Sirius’s prone form.  The light was so shocked to see their saviour fighting against them, that many would have died if not for their hastily erected shield charms.  The Order attempted to keep up the fight, but eventually turned tail and ran.  Some foolish Death Eaters attempted to attack Harry and take the prophecy, but were shocked to find that  their spells were doing nothing.

  Harry, and everyone else who had been in the department of mysteries, flooded into the ministry’s atrium.  Voldemort waited for them there, but that wasn’t what shocked Harry.  What shocked Harry was Voldem- Tom’s appearance.  He still had slightly serpentine features in his eyes and pale skin, but besides that seem like any other pureblood lord.  Harry gawked for a moment before composing himself.  He approached Tom with confidence in his step.  He stopped before him and looked him in the eyes, “I want to renegotiate the terms of our vow.”

  “And what do you wish to change, exactly,” Tom said eying him skeptically.

  “We want to join the war.”

  “And fight against me?”  Tom seemed as if he was on the edge of a breakdown which was something Harry could feel through the mental link.

  “No, against the old fool, but as I said before, we don’t wish to be Death Eaters.”

  “Then what do you offer as collateral?”

  “This,” Harry said, holding up the prophecy, “you can have this, I don’t care, but me and my friends join the war.”

  “You do not wish to know what the prophecy foretells?”

  “I never cared much for divination all that much, thought it was a bunch of malarky if you ask me.”

  “Then you have yourself a deal Mr. Potter.”

  “Please, call me Harry.”

 

_ When Harry came of age: _

  Harry woke early the morning of July 31st, stretching and yawning as shafts of sunlight lit up his room.  He looked around the elegant room he now called his own.  Not long after Harry had declared his participation in the war he had been abducted at King’s Cross station.  That had been almost two years ago, and Harry had been living comfortably in Riddle Manor ever since.

  Only his associates knew his location, and they knew not to share with the Old Coot, who had been killed by Snape two months previous.  So far all of their work had been covert, leaving the light on eggshells regarding this new enemy.  They were slowly gathering information to discredit the light, and deal a major blow to their political stances.  They were also working toward offering sanctuary to those who didn’t want to get caught up in the war.  They led a more defensive stance in the war than the offensive that their opponents put up.  Many thought that Harry’s group was simply an offshoot of death eaters who didn’t wish to torture and kill, but still wished to participate in the war.  No one was aware that Harry Potter was the head of this new faction, nor did they know that his final goal was to tear the ministry down, in order to rebuild it anew.  In this endeavour he was joined by his adopted family and close friends, Remus, Sirius, Hermione, Ginny, the Twins, Luna, Neville, Bill, Charlie, and many others.  Ron hadn’t joined them, because he refused to trust the dark, but he had agreed to go neutral.  It had stung Harry a bit when his best mate refused to join him, but he had been quickly distracted by the war effort.

  And today was his 17th birthday, the day he came of age.  Now he could use his magic without alerting the ministry, allowing them to put grander plans into action.  His first course of action was heading to Gringotts to get his accounts in order.  Once that was taken care of he and Sirius was going to evict the Order from Grimmauld Place.  This would leave the Order scrambling as most of them thought Sirius was dead and Harry had been kidnapped by the Dark Lord.  To see the two of them willingly working with the enemy would stump those who hadn't been in the department of mysteries, and shock those who had.  But before all of that, he had to celebrate his coming of age.

  Harry got out of bed and walked towards his wardrobe.  He took out a simple white button up, and black slacks.  He quickly dressed and left to the dining room.  He was greeted by the few of his faction that were staying at Riddle Manor with him, Hermione, The Weasleys that supported him save for Bill and Charlie, Neville, and Luna.  They had all went into hiding when the Order started tracking down those who had been close to Harry.  Sirius and Remus had gotten a place of their own, and Bill and Charlie were working abroad with other wizarding communities.  Tom was away on business, but he had told Harry that he would be their for his coming of age party.  It had taken some time for everyone to get used to living with the Dark Lord, and some still felt uneasy such as Ginny.  She still held a bit of a grudge over what happened in the chamber, but she was slowly forgiving Tom.

  Harry and his group went to Magical Paris’s shopping district.  Fleur and Bill joined them in their little pre-celebration.  They had decided to follow wizarding tradition, and have a Coming of Age ceremony in which magic officially acknowledged the wizard or witch’s coming of age, and bestowed them with a little extra power.  The amount of power wasn’t based on blood purity, or status either, it was based on how well magic favored you.  Harry was participating in such a ritual, so as to boost his already powerful magic.  He wasn’t expecting to get much of a boost, but any little bit helped.  Preparations for tonight had already been made including getting an overseer for the ritual, and the tailoring of Harry’s robes.  After a quick lunch at a nice French restaurant, the group returned to the manor to get ready for the ritual.  Afterwards, they planned on throwing a birthday party.

  Harry went to his room to don his ceremonial robes.  The robes were black, with silver runes lining the arms, shoulders, neck and bottom hem.  During the ceremony the runes would activate causing the robes to go from black and silver to white and gold.  The change was meant to symbolize magic's purification of his body and soul.  This ritual would also remove any blocks, compulsions, or potions in his system.  Not many families preformed the ritual anymore because not many people remembered it.  It took days of scouring the library with Hermione to even catch mentions of  it.  They had eventually found a book detailing how to perform the ritual, and after researching the shadier parts decided to put it into action.  They had to teach someone the incantation, so they could have an officiator.  They had decided to have Bill learn the incantation, so he could do the cleansing ritual that the goblins usually did.  

  Harry left his room and made his way to the gardens where the ceremony was taking place.  The ceremony had to happen outside at night because the moon’s light was a vital part of the ritual.  The soon-to-be recognized adult is required to hold a moonflower in his or her hands.  The flower had to be picked by a river during the full moon, or the ritual wouldn’t work.  The officiator then has to chant the incantation as the flower is raised towards the moon.  If everything was done right the flower would bloom, but if done wrong Harry and Bill could face serious consequences.

  All of Harry’s friends and family were in the garden, their heads bowed as Harry walked towards Bill.  Bill stood at the center of the garden, where the pathways met at a fountain.  Bill held the moonflower in his hand, and as Harry approached handed it to him.  The flower was white and looked a bit like a star.  Harry took the flower and held it lightly in his palms.  He looked up at Bill and nodded his head, signifying that he was ready.  Bill nodded back and began the chant.

 

_      "Ave mater, si parce momento temporis  _

_      Cognoscere volumus nocte una tuis fidelibus tirocinio  _

_      Benedicere eos gratiam esse liberum et vincula eorum pati  _

_      Mundant animam amet purus diei nati facere  _

_      Rogamus autem vos, id est ad agnoscendum et accipiendi Magia mater pueri vestri fidelis” _

 

  Bill repeated the incantation as Harry raised his hands towards the Moon.  The flower started to react, and bloom unfurling to look more like the moon itself.  At first Harry felt nothing, but then he shuddered as a strange coolness washed over his body.  Shortly after the pain started to build, as blocks and compulsions were broken.  The pain continued to build till Harry felt ready to pass out.  Just as he was about to drop to the ground in a dead faint, the pain stopped as Bill stopped chanting.  Harry immediately fell to the ground, and his friends rushed to help him.  He was starting to feel crowded when Remus told everyone to back off and give him some space.  Remus helped him stand up, and carried him back inside.  Once there Remus sat Harry down and got him a glass of water.  Everyone stood around, hovering nervously.  Harry chuckled before assuring them that he was alright.

  “But what happened, is this something we need to worry about in the future,” Sirius asked in concern.

  “No, if anything this should leave you less to worry about.  I do, however, think the amount of pain you went through is strange,” Bill said doing a quick medical scan over Harry.

  Harry had a hunch that most of the pain had been derived from Tom’s horcrux which was another deception hidden by Dumbledore.  Tom had discovered the small soul shard not long after Harry had started living with him.  It had been tainted with insanity and harmful dark magic, and Tom had found it a miracle that the only side effect of such instability was pain whenever he was near.  Harry had no idea if the soul had been destroyed completely or had been cleansed alongside him.  Tom would be able to confirm if it still existed or not, but as of the moment he had yet to return from whatever issue he had been dealing with that morning.  Now that everyone’s worries had been eased, Harry took a look around the ballroom where his birthday party was being held.  There were several tables and chairs set about, as red and gold streamers hung from the ceiling.  A large cake that was decorated to look like a quidditch field, tiny enchanted fliers included, sat at the center of the snack table with smaller finger foods and sweets surrounding it.  Harry’s friends and family were all in attendance along with a few of Tom’s inner circle.  Those who weren’t there, Tom and the rest of his inner circle, were going to arrive later as they had things that had to be done.

  The party got underway, and everyone started to enjoy themselves and forget the scare from earlier.  Presents wouldn’t be opened until everyone had arrived, so everyone entertained themselves by sharing stories from their Hogwarts days, or childhoods.  Several approached Harry with birthday wishes, and teased him over his lack of a love life.  It was about an hour after the festivities had kicked off Tom and the few stragglers who had yet to make it arrived.  The moment Tom arrived Harry approached him, wanting to test the horcrux theory.  Living with Tom hadn’t been easy since every time Tom had gotten too close Harry’s scar had started to burn.  They had found that they could be within three feet of each other before Harry started to feel pain.  

  Harry could tell that Tom was slightly curious as to how the ritual went.  Tom stood waiting for Harry to stop, and was shocked when he kept going even after the three feet limit.

  Tom had been about to voice his doubts of such an action when Harry stopped in front of him, and hugged him tightly.  Tom stood rigid, and looked down at the boy who was snuggling into his chest.  It was no secret that Harry was touch starved, and while he was shy most times, there were the occasional times where Harry was willing to cuddle.  Tom however, hated physical affection and avoided it at all costs.  After two extremely uncomfortable minutes, Harry let go and Tom relaxed.

  “May I ask what that was for,” Tom asked with a slight glare.

  “No pain,” Harry replied pointing to his scar.  Tom seemed interested by that tidbit of info, and after gaining Harry’s permission he searched with his magic to determine the state of his horcrux.  He was relieved to find the horcrux still intact and pleased to realize the dark taint surrounding it had been washed away.  Tom leaned over and placed a light kiss on Harry’s scar causing Harry’s face to light up in a blush.  It had been Tom’s intention to make Harry his when he had found out that the boy carried a shred of his soul.  He had feelings for the boy before then, but the discovery of his horcrux is what brought him to realize them.  

  Now that everyone had arrived they cut the cake, and got to opening the presents.  Remus and Sirius had went digging through their memories, and gifted Harry with a few of them that had his parents.  Hermione got him books on defence and charms.  Bill got him an earring that blocked most low level curses, hexes, and jinxs.  Charlie got him a book that went in depth about all the different dragon species, as well as dragonhide armour.  Luna had gotten him a book on courtship rituals which confused most people in the room.  Luna just patted Harry on the head with the same dreamy look as always.  Neville had gotten him Moonseed, a plant that looked like the crescent moon.  Neville said that it was the main ingredient in Moonseed poison which was able to put someone into a deep sleep through just skin contact.  Ginny had gotten him a broom repair kit, several books on quidditch, and a promise for a match at a later date.  The Twins had gifted him with several joke products that would never be sold in their stores.  Most of Tom’s inner circle got him sweets and candies.  Tom himself promised to give Harry his gift later.

  It wasn’t much longer until people started heading home and turned in for the night.  Harry himself wanted to curl up in his bed and sleep until noon, but Tom held him back waiting for everyone to leave them alone.  Luna was the last to leave and she hugged Harry telling him to accept saying he would find true happiness that way, before leaving shutting the doors behind her.  Once she had gone, Tom approached Harry and brought him back out to the gardens.  Once there Tom turned to Harry, and held his hands placing something in the palm of Harry’s right hand.  Harry looked down at the item to see it was a snake bracelet.  It was made of a gold like material with rubies and emeralds inlaid about its circumference.  It looked as if it would wrap around the wrist two to three times while the head appeared to be a hinged mechanism.  Harry gently pried open the snake's mouth to see a tiny timepiece inlaid in its mouth.  Harry was admiring the beautiful piece of jewelry when he felt Tom lift his chin up.

  Both stared into each other’s eyes as Tom began to speak.  “Harry, are you aware of how wizarding courtships work?”

  “The interested party presents the intended with a gift and a declaration of their intentions.”  Sirius had been teaching Harry the basics to being a Lord, so he wasn’t left in the dark on his seventeenth birthday.

  “Correct, and I wish to state my intentions to court you Harry James Potter.  We may have started out as enemies, but we have recently become allies.  As of such, I could no longer ignore you, nor claim my feelings to be of hatred or spite.  I found myself attracted to you, my equal in all.  So much so that I found it hard to wait for this day to come.  I have been waiting to court you for awhile now my little snake.  I feared that someone else would come and steal you from me even though you have cut yourself off from the wizarding world.  Now that I can finally ask without condemnation, will you be mine my lion?”

  Harry was speechless, he’d never felt such love or devotion from one person before.  Yes, Sirius and Remus, as well as all of his other friends, loved him, but not like Tom does.  Harry felt tears in the corners of his eyes, he had started developing feelings for Tom during his stay at the manor.  The man had been nothing but kind and he didn’t set any restrictions on Harry allowing him to do as he wished.  Even though they had the three feet restriction before, Tom had never failed to notice Harry or include him in discussions whether they pertained to the war or not.  Harry smiled before hugging Tom.  He pulled back and looked Tom in the eyes, “I accept your courtship.”

 

_ How they won the war: _

  Harry climbed over the rubble that used to be the Ministry of Magic’s fountain.  All around wizards and witches were fighting, both sides trying to overtake the other.  Harry wore the armour and earring that the two eldest Weasley’s had given him.  His holly wand was clutched tightly in his right-hand looking for his boyfriend through the chaos.  He had been about to jump back into the fray when a stray severing charm cut into his left calf.  He cried out in pain and fell to his knees.  He turned to cast a healing charm when he noticed Mad-eye Moody climbing the rubble towards him.  He cast a blasting charm at him, but Moody threw up a strong shielding charm to protect himself from the blast.  The blasting charm had made the rubble pile unstable, but Moody kept climbing anyways.  Harry tried crawling backwards, but ended up tumbling part-way down the pile getting dirt and debri in the wound.  Harry tried to stand up, but stopped when he felt a presence above him.  Harry looked up slowly to see that Moody had caught up with him, and was now standing above him.  Harry could see the killing curse coming off his lips when a green light suddenly knocked Moody out.

  Harry sat there staring at Moody’s lifeless corpse when he was suddenly enveloped in the strong arms of his boyfriend.  Tom picked him up and started ushering him towards the few others of their side that had been incapacitated and were being seen to by healers when a sudden blasting charm went off to their right.  Harry was knocked over and a particularly large piece of debri landed on his injured leg.  He cried out once again as Tom shot up and fired a curse towards the ones who harmed his intended.  If Harry had been able to he would have gotten up to help Tom, but at the moment he could barely even stand.

  All they needed was for the Ministry to surrender then Tom could capture the remaining order members.  The order itself was still going strong, but the Ministry was weakening.  The aurors refused to use the killing curse and as of such they were falling much faster.  It wouldn’t be long before those who were still putting up a fight left leaving the Ministry in the hands of the victor.  Already Tom and Harry could see that the aurors were fleeing starting with a small trickle then growing into a great wave of wizards that were apparating out of the atrium.  Now all that was left was taking care of the order then they’d have truly won the war.  Tom set some of his most trusted Death Eaters on the job of tracking the few order members that slipped away while he picked up Harry and brought him to the healers.  Tom already knew that the next couple of months would be chaotic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Incantation translation:  
> Mother Magic, if you would spare us a moment of your time  
> For tonight we wish to recognize the coming of age of one of your most loyal servants  
> Please bless them with your favor, and allow them to be free of the chains that bind them  
> Cleanse their soul and magic and make it as pure as the day they were born  
> We ask this of you Mother Magic to recognize and accept your faithful child


	2. Chapter 2 Can Orphan’s eat at a family restaurant?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the kids

 Harry made his way to Tom’s office, leaning heavily on his cane as he did.  After the battle it was found that while Harry could keep his leg, it was most likely that he would never be able to feel it again.  The leg was mostly unresponsive, and numb throughout.  Harry had been afraid that his injury would chase Tom away, but Tom had been quick to assure him that nothing could chase him away.  Tom himself had taken the position of Minister and had immediately began reforming the wizarding world.  It was once things had calmed down, and people had began to get used to the new laws and restrictions, that Tom had proposed to Harry.  Harry had enthusiastically accepted, and a year later they were happily married.  It had been almost three years since the battle at the Ministry-two since their marriage-and Harry had some thoughts he wanted to bring up to Tom.  There were several reforms that Harry’s group had pushed for that had already been approved by Tom, but this was one of their larger goals, and Harry felt that Tom might demand an explanation.

Harry passed Tom’s secretary nodding to her as he walked by.  He continued down the hallway until he stood before Tom’s office.  Harry knocked softly before entering, seeing Tom was working at the moment. Tom glanced up a briefly, “one moment,” and finished reading the report he had in his hand before signing it.  He then leaned back a gestured for Harry to come closer.  Harry did so and sat in Tom’s lap while Tom wrapped his arms around him.  Tom still wasn’t all that fond of physical affection, but he become more tolerant of it in terms of Harry.  

“Did you need something my lion?”

“Yes, something else that we, or more of I, wanted to introduce to wizarding society.”

“What would that be?”  Tom had started brushing his fingers through Harry’s hair lightly scratching his scalp every now and then.

“Well, there has been several witches and wizards that were orphaned as a conclusion of the war, and many of them don’t have loving homes to go to at night.  So, I thought of creating a magical orphanage.”  Harry had been hesitant to voice this idea to Tom, aware of his childhood in an orphanage and his hatred towards them in general.  And Harry had been right in his assumption of Tom’s reaction, being as soon as the word orphanage had left Harry’s mouth Tom had frozen and looked down at Harry slowly.  Harry slowly disentangled himself and sat on Tom’s desk before him.

“Hear me out, before you say no Tom.  I know you were raised in an orphanage and I know you hated that place, but we can make laws to restrict what happened to you and make living in the orphanage happy for those kids who have no options left to them.  We could save muggleborns who live in abusive homes and open a school to teach them wizarding customs before they start Hogwarts.  The book of names instantly records every possible witch or wizard the second they start showing signs of magic.  Do you know how many of those names are erased by the time they should start their first year at Hogwarts?  So many lose their lives and it's because nobody bothers to check and see if their family is okay with accidental magic.  I was raised with muggles that hated magic, and you’ve seen the scars and bruises they gave me.  I was lucky to get out of their alive!  I don’t want any kid going through what I did, and while I won’t be able to solve every case of abuse this could at least help some.”  Tom held Harry once he finished speaking, letting him cry into his shoulder.  He found it dumb, but all someone had to do was mention his abuse at the hands of his relatives and Harry would break down.  Harry hated it, but Tom reassured him and told him there was nothing wrong and that he had every right to be upset just as he was doing now.  

Tom gently shushed him, rubbing up and down Harry’s back to calm him down.  “I’ll admit that this idea has some merit, but what were some of the laws you had in mind.”

“Mandatory inspections from trained ministry officials is one thing.”  Harry hiccuped out, starting to calm down.

“Mmm… that seems like a good start.  Would you object to training the matrons who are to run the orphanage, and make sure they are aware of how to take care of so many children.”

“No, we could also give them checks from the Ministry to pay for clothes and food for the children.  If they start using the money for themselves then we could make it a felony punishable by serving time in Azkaban.”  Harry said rubbing his eyes to wipe away the few stray tears left on his cheeks.

“Where would the orphanage be located?”  Tom sat back down pulling Harry into his lap, and setting a quick quotes quill to record their conversation.

“I own several empty manors, and homes that I will probably never use.  Combining Sirius's we have several homes we could choose from for the orphanage.”

“Sirius has agreed to give up some of his homes?”

“He insisted.  He said he has no use for them, and that he’d rest easier if the houses were being used instead of sitting empty.”

“How will we get the children away from their families?”

“We could send muggleborn witches and wizards to muggleborn houses and have them explain how growing up was for them.  If the witch or wizard deems the place unsafe for a child we can send a team to investigate and if that proves that the child's living situation is indeed unsafe then they can drop a hint to the muggle police or something.  Then when the child is taken out of the home we come and offer them a place in the orphanage.”

“That seems reasonable, we would of course have to gather as many muggleborns as possible and see who is willing to fill such a position.”

“Hey Tom, if this works do you think we could adopt?”

“If that's what you want, my lion.”

 

~~~<0>~~~

In a small apartment in London,England, a young boy with blonde hair and mocha eyes could be seen hiding just out of sight from where three adults sat conversing on the couch.  The boy himself appeared to be eight or nine while the woman, his mother it appeared, appeared to be in her late twenties.  The other two occupants, both wizards from the ministry, were in their early forties at least.  Micah listened in as the strange people talked with his mother.  They were telling her that Micah was special and that when he turned eleven a school would send a letter to train his talents.  His mom screamed at them to get out, saying Micah was nothing more than a freak.  The men got up and thanked his mother for her time stating that they may make a later visit.  As they passed by Micah one knelt down next to him and promised that he wouldn’t have to put up with her harsh words for much longer.  He remembered when his mother would smile and laugh, and hold him tight when things got scary, but then  _ it _ happened.  

The both of them had been celebrating his birthday and he’d been so happy, that he didn’t even noticed the cake was floating until his mother screamed.  The cake had immediately fell and crashed to the table crumbling apart from the force of the impact.  His mother had immediately grabbed him and hid in the bedroom.  Eventually she let him go, and he wondered why she had been so afraid, he thought it had been cool.  More cool things kept happening around him things that made his mother look at him strangely.  One such event was when a library book from one of the higher shelves, glided into his hands.  People had asked questions, and his mother simply told them that the book had probably just fell and caught a breeze from the window.  No one mentioned how the windows had been closed, but Micah had found it strange.  When they had gotten home, his mother told him that he couldn’t be doing such strange things in public.  Micah had promised not to do strangeness in public again, but it was like he had no control over it.

Every time someone caught him doing strangeness his mother would make an excuse and would scold him later when they got home.  At first she would keep her voice kind and would scold him softly, but soon it turned to angry yelling and harsh words that scared and confused Micah.  Someone had caught him talking and playing with the animals once, that had resulting in his mother calling him a freak and asking if he wanted to run away to the circus with the other freaks.  They were just animals, why did playing with them make him a freak?  He didn’t play with the animals again after that.  He had been running away from the bullies, of whom bullied him for his small size, at school when suddenly everything sped up, and he found himself in front of the apartment building in seconds flat.  His mother had told those who saw it that he must have caught a particularly strong gust of wind.  She had told him not to to it ever again, and ignored him whenever he told her about the bullies.  Things continued like this, with every strange thing Micah did his mother hated him more.  She didn’t hug him anymore, didn’t assure him when he had nightmares, didn’t protect him from the mean kids at school anymore.  All he wanted was for his mom to act like his mom again.

It was two weeks before the two strange men from before showed up with a friend of theirs, a witch trained to handle children.  One of them had his mom sit on the couch as he asked her questions while the other two came into Micah’s room to talk to him.  Micah had been drawing pictures of cats and dog when the two came in.  They both sat down in front of Micah letting him finish his drawing before asking him questions.  They asked if his mother had ever hit him, or denied him things like food or care.  Micah told them that she never hit him, but she sometimes forgot to feed him and walked into the other room whenever he cried or asked to look at something he found interesting.  They kept asking him questions about his home life when the nice lady asked him a weird question.

“What?”

“Will you let me view your memories?  It won’t hurt we just want to see things from your eyes,” the nice lady, Sara as she had introduced herself, said.

“How would you do that?  Can you do strange things like me!”  Micah was excited about the possibility of their people like him.

“Yes, you’re a wizard Micah, and there are several hundred people like you maybe even thousand,” Sara said smiling at his enthusiasm, “and to view your memories I’d use a spell called legilimens, but we can't use it without permission or else we’ll get in trouble.”

“Oh, okay you can look through my memories, but what if I get bored?”

“We could have a staring contest.”

“Will the winner get candy,” Micah asked excitedly.

“Of course!  It's always cool to get a prize after a job well done.  So, we start on the count of three alright.  1...2...3!”

Micah was determined to win, so determined that he almost didn’t notice the gentle prodding at his mind.  He paid it no mind, and continued to stare into Sara’s eyes wanting to win the candy.  The staring contest went on a bit longer to the point of which Micah’s eyes started to itch from not blinking.  It was just as his eyes were about to snap shut that Sara looked away breaking the legilimency connection.  Micah blinked his eyes a couple of times before cheering and hugging Sara.  She froze for a moment before embracing the boy, all of his mother’s hateful words ringing in her head.  She drew back and smiled at the boy before pulling a small jar filled with sugar quills out of her coat pocket.  She opened the jar and extracted one, replacing the jar in her coat.  She held the candy out to Micah, who took it slowly fearful that she would stop being kind.  She smiled at him one last time before standing and leaving the room.  She then made her way to the living area intent on talking with his mother.

Micah’s mother was sat in the armchair while Sara’s companions, Leighton and Quinn, sat on the couch across from her.  Sara walked over and sat between the two wizards glaring at the woman in front of her.  “Ms. Hunt why have you been neglecting your son?”

“That freak isn’t my son.”  Ms. Hunt said glaring back at Sara.

“I can assure you that is your son Ms. Hunt, you refuse to accept him just because he is magical which makes you an unfit guardian.”

“Take him then, I won’t stand for such strangeness.”

Sara took some papers from the front pocket of her robe and handed them to Ms. Hunt.  She took them and signed the forms stating that she released Micah from her custody.  Leighton took the papers while Sara walked back to Micah’s room.  When she walked in she noticed that Micah was sitting on the bed holding a plush cat close to his chest.  Sara walked over to him slowly and held him when she saw that he was crying.

“Let’s get you packed up, alright?”

“Okay.”  He got up slowly from the bed and walked over to his dresser.  Sara helped him gather his things into his backpack, before taking his hand and walking towards the front door.  As they were leaving Micah turned to look at his mother to see her looking out the window turned away from him. “Bye mommy.”

She didn’t respond as Micah was gently led out of the apartment.  Micah was led away from the building, Sara’s warm hand enveloping his.

“Are you going to take me in Ms.Sara?”  Micah didn’t know where he was going, but he hoped it was with Ms.Sara.  But she looked at him sadly before responding.

“I’m afraid not Micah.  I’m away often, and my flat’s to small to raise a child in.”

“Then where am I going?”

“Well, there’s orphanage’s with kids who are like you.  If we took you to one of those you could make friends, and possibly get adopted by a nice family that’ll love you tons.”

“Okay.”  Micah was scared, he didn’t know what he was going to do now.  He never had many friends because the other kids would rather bully him.  He was afraid that the same would happen at the orphanage, but he had no other options apparently.  He wished that he could make at least one friend at the orphanage.

~~~<0>~~~

       Emrys Teslon, or Emery as she liked to be called, was five when her parents had been killed.  It had been fours years since then, and she remembered it as clearly as the day it happened.  She had been in bed when her hazel eyes had snapped open upon hearing a noise outside.  She had gotten out of bed thinking that the unicorns had been grazing to close to the house again and that she would like to approach them this time.  She snuck outside to the forest bordering the house only to find that the grove she usually played in was eerily quiet.  She had turned ready to head back to bed when she saw the silhouette of people against the house.  From the way the shadows had moved it appeared that they were approaching the house.  She hid in the bushes and watched as her house was burnt to the ground.  She had stayed outside all night staring in horror at the sight that used to be her home.  She had been startled when one of the animals that normally roamed the grounds came and nuzzled her cheek.  A silver fox, the one that always came to play with her in the gardens, sat before her.

A silver fox, one that she played with in the gardens often, sat before as if waiting for her to do something. As she watched it, it got up and started walking toward the charred remains of Emery’s house.  Emery didn’t want to follow it, but once it realized she wasn’t following it came back to nudge and nip her into motion.  The fox led her through the burnt rubble getting black soot all over it’s coat.  It led her to where the foyer used to be and circled a spot on the floor sitting beside it.  Emery looked at the fox quizzically, before moving towards the spot it had marked out.  She knelt down on the ground and looked at the floor where she noticed a small indentation that she could fit her fingers under.  Emery wedged the loose floorboards off the ground, and looked into the crevice that was exposed.  There she found what appeared to be the family tree, an old book, and a picture of her and her family when she was a baby along with a note.

Emery looked around and found an old charred cloth that she was able to use to wrap the book, picture, and family tree in.  She pocketed the letter before turning and looking at the fox that sat in what used to be the entryway to the manor.  She walked to where it was and sat in the ruined remains of the doorframe.  It was just as the sun was at the apex of it asent that the aurors arrived.  They assessed the damage to the house, and took Emery away to her last living relative, her Aunt Mary Shafiq.  The fox stayed with Emery, as her aunt forced her to do the work of a house elf .  Her aunt didn’t care for her one bit, and tried several times to chase away the fox, but it always came back no matter what she did.  Emery didn’t get much of a chance to look at the book, family tree, or letter, as her aunt had taken all three when she arrived.  She burnt the picture leaving Emery the burnt ashes.  For three years did Emery live under her aunt's constant hate, and it was only after the ministry was taken over and child abuse laws were more enforced that she was freed.  Her aunt had been deemed an unfit guardian, and she was bounced around a couple houses until the orphanage had been built.  She had been placed in the system and that was where she still resided to this day.  It had been about a year and a half that she had lived here, but no one wished to be her friend.  She was alone, her fox hadn’t been allowed to come with her, and had ran off while she was being taken to the orphanage.  All the other kids found her strange being she was one of the few that had been raised in the wizarding world.  There were only two others that were raised like her, but they were snobby and didn’t like being near the other children.  The others thought she was just like them and refused to approach her.  She was hurt, scared, and lonely, but like anyone cared.

~~~<0>~~~

Tom sat in his office going over yet another report of post-war damages.  Tom had wished to start reforming the ministry right away, but one day in office had shown him that he would have to thoroughly cleanse the ministry of all it’s ridiculous laws.  Some reforms such as the orphanages, and better law enforcement had already been passed through the wizengamot, but Tom still felt it wasn’t enough.  If Harry didn’t drag him away from work, Tom would have probably ran himself ragged.  Harry himself had been handling most of the adoption process, only dragging Tom in for meetings and classes.  It had been almost a year ago that the orphanages had been instituted, and Harry had told Tom that the only thing left was to actually meet the kids.  They had to live with the child for ten to twelve weeks before they could actually adopt the child, and only if the child so wished to be adopted.  Harry and the agent that was monitoring the adoption had already picked out two kids, that would be picked up tomorrow morning and brought to Riddle Manor.  Harry had left the files for the children on top of Tom’s work pile, telling him he should read him the earliest chance he got.  As he signed off on yet another costly repair he spared a glance to the two files before picking them up.  The first was of a muggleborn named Micah, and the other was a pureblood named Emrys.


	3. Chapter 3  Knock Knock  Orphan:Who’s there?  Not your parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Micah and Emery meet their new parents

Micah looked around in awe at the gardens he was being led through. There were beautiful flowers everywhere with white cobbled paths, and shimmering fountains. But what drew the boy’s attention most, were the small winged people flying about from flower to flower. Strange little creatures ran around the flowers stems while others lurked in the bushes. He’d never seen such creatures before, and it blew his mind that an entire community of people had been hidden right under his nose, and he was apart of that community. It was almost as unbelievable that he was getting adopted.

He had only been in the orphanage for about three months when the kind lady that had brought him there told him they had possibly found him a home where he would have a sister, and two dads. He had found it a bit strange at first for him to have two dads, and no mom, but after his experience with his mom, he supposed he could give it a try. What made him happy was that he was going to get a sibling. In the orphanage the other kids had picked on him even though they got in trouble for it. He couldn’t wait, and was more than ready to give this place a try.

He and Sara, the social worker that picked him up from his mother’s, was approaching a large house, mansion really, that had a dark look to it. The curtains were drawn close in most of the upstairs windows, but almost all the ground floor windows were open allowing Micah to see that the inside of the house was done in dark shades of green brown, and black. 

He and Sara walked towards the house, and knocked on the door politely waiting for someone to answer. They heard quiet shuffling before the door opened to reveal a man with messy black hair, and kind emerald green eyes.

“Ah, you must be Sara. Pleasure to meet you.”

“You too, Mr. Riddle.” Sara smiled at the man, as he got down on his knee to be eye-level with Micah.

“Hello, I’m Harry Riddle-Potter, the other that wishes to be your father isn’t here currently, but he’s on his way. Would you like to come inside?”

“Yes, please!” Harry chuckled, before standing up and offering his unoccupied hand to Micah. Micah took his hand happily noticing the cane he held in his other hand. Harry led them inside letting Micah see how stiff his leg was. “Is there something wrong with your leg?”

“Ah, it was busted during a battle, nothing for you to worry about.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Not really, no. Can’t feel it quite honestly.”

“Can’t you fix it with magic?” Micah was really worried for his new dad, he didn’t like seeing people in pain.

“There are some things that magic just can’t fix, but let’s not talk about that. Why not tell me a bit about yourself.” Micah jumped in excitement, and was about to start speaking when the doorbell rung. Harry directed them to a couch in the sitting room before excusing himself to answer the door. Micah sat and took in all the strange magical objects hanging or floating about the room, that sometimes made strange whistling or chirping sounds. Sara watched him with a small smile on her face, knowing that Harry already cared for both children greatly. She was slightly worried about Harry’s husband, but during their meetings she had seen nothing that would make him a bad father, and Harry had assured her that Mr. Riddle-Potter was just as excited as him, he was just exhausted from running a country.

When Harry came back Micah was surprised to see another social worker and a little girl with brown curls following behind. Micah had thought the girl was already here, but it seemed like it would be a new adventure for the both of them. Micah waved at her, but she just looked away and sat on the couch instead of waving back. Unlike Micah, she didn’t seem as amazed by all the magical items in the room, but Micah guessed that she was just quieter about her excitement. The social workers, and their respective charge all sat on the sofa, while Harry sat on the one of the armchairs across from them that way, he could face the kids while they talked. 

Harry called a small creature with large ears, and asked kindly for them to bring a tray of tea and biscuits. “Now that we’re all here I’d like to reintroduce myself, so everyone's on the same page. I’m Harry James Riddle-Potter, if you wish you can just call me Harry. I’m afraid to say that Tom has been caught up at the office, but he will be joining us shortly. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both,me and my husband have been excited to be able to raise children of our own.” Harry seemed just as nervous as Micah was, so at least he wasn’t the only one who had no idea of what he was getting into.

“I’m Micah, and I’m happy to meet you Harry,” he offered Harry his hand, of which the man shook with a smile.

“I’m Emery,” was all the little girl said before ignoring them again. Micah was a bit scared of her, but Harry only smiled softly, allowing her to keep her silence. The small creature came back with the tray before once again disappearing with a small pop.

“What was that?” Micah was an extremely curious boy, it had been one of the things that’d always made his mother mad.

“That was a house elf. Most wizards treat them like dirt, but I make it a point to treat them with respect. If you were to give them clothes it would free them from their service, but most house elves see that as unemployment. Others see it as freedom.”

“They like to work?!” Micah was shocked, he hated doing anything work related, he’d much rather play.

“Yes, they actually find it an honor to work, but I’m guessing you don’t like doing chores?” 

“Not really, but I know I’m supposed to clean up my messes.”

Harry nodded his head, and turned to Emery, “What about you Emery?”

She looked at him before muttering, “I don’t care about chores,” and looking away once more. Micah was a bit put off, and he was worried that this girl wouldn’t want to be his sister, much less Harry’s daughter. As for Harry, Micah found that he really liked the man, and the more they talked the more willing he was to give this a chance. Harry kept asking them simple questions such as what was their hobbies, favourite foods, and favourite type of music. It was while Micah was telling Harry about an old dog that used to live in front of his apartment that he heard noises coming from the next room over.

“That must be Tom, give me a moment and I’ll be back, and you can meet the other man who wishes to be your dad,” Harry said, getting up to leave the room.

“If you don’t mind Mr. Riddle can we come with you?” Sara and the other social worker stood up and politely stood.

“Oh, of course. Will you two be alright on your own?”

“I’ll be good,” Micah gave a small salute remembering the times he’d played army soldier. Emery muttered something that sounded like agreement, and Harry nodded before escorting the two women to his husband’s study. Micah tried to sit quietly, but after awhile he found that boring and instead decided to try and talk to Emery. “Hi, I’m Micah, but you already know that. What do you know about magic? I don’t know much, but I’m excited to learn! How was it at the orphanage for you? The kids bullied me a lot, and I didn’t have any friends, but you’ll be my friend! Right?” Micah sat watching her, waiting for her response, but instead of giving one she just glared and turned away from Micah. He tried to get her to speak to him, but no matter what he did Emery wasn’t interested in talking. After a while Micah gave up, and hopped off the couch to investigate the room further. Just like the rest of the house it was done in dark colors, but it appeared as if someone had attempted to lighten the place up by placing small vases of bright flowers on the mantelpiece and end tables. Micah liked the flowers and appreciated the attempt at making this place seem more welcoming. Micah could see a clock on the far wall, that was steadily ticking away, giving off an occasional chirp. Something seemed to be inscribed in the clock, but as Micah moved forward to read it the adults returned.

Micah turned to the adults noticing the other man with slicked back dark brown hair, and deep red eyes. Everyone retook their seat, Micah a bit wary because Sara kept shooting dirty looks the newcomers way. The other social worker seemed unfazed by the other man's presence, and Harry, while seeming a bit irate, was giving the man a loving look. Micah could feel the tension in the room, but being he didn’t know the cause of said tension, he simply smiled and held out his hand to the man, “Hi! My names Micah, what’s yours?”

“Tom Riddle-Potter, Minister of Magic-” 

Harry slapped his arm saying, “Don’t introduce yourself like that, their kids for merlin’s sake!”

“What’s a minister of magic?” 

“The Minister of Magic is the highest position in the ministry, and leader of the wizarding world.”

“So, you make the laws?”

“For the most part, yes.”

“That’s cool!”

Tom nodded before looking in Emery’s direction, “And your name would be?”

Emery gave him a short glance, before muttering, “Emery,” and turning away. One of Tom’s eyebrows raised, as he noticed this display of disrespect, but any words he would have said were stopped when Harry grabbed his arm and gave him a meaningful look. Tom dropped it to instead ask questions of his own. While Harry had seemed more interested in what they liked, Tom was more interested in what they planned to do in life, or how well they did in school. Micah usually did well in school, but at the moment he had no particular ambition, besides being a kid. Emery still refused to talk to anyone, and no one was particularly sure why. Micah and Emery was allowed to ask their own questions, and while Emery maintained her silence, Micah tried to find out all he could about Harry and Tom. It was at about five in the evening that the social workers declared that they should wrap things up, and that if all went well, he and Emery would be with their new family by the end of the week. It was as he went to bed that night that Micah wished for a better future.

**Author's Note:**

> Incantation translation:  
> Mother Magic, if you would spare us a moment of your time  
> For tonight we wish to recognize the coming of age of one of your most loyal servants  
> Please bless them with your favor, and allow them to be free of the chains that bind them  
> Cleanse their soul and magic and make it as pure as the day they were born  
> We ask this of you Mother Magic to recognize and accept your faithful child


End file.
